Soccer Blog

BREAKING NEWS: MISL Clubs Leaving For PASL?

We have been reporting for over a month about the coming realignment in professional indoor soccer. After the Professional Arena Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League championship games yesterday, we expected no news until early April.

Since acquiring the MISL in 2011, we have been committed to raising the overall standards within the league and bringing increased stability to what had previously been a turbulent period for the indoor professional game… we have…come to the conclusion that…it will be necessary for us to do more than continue to make minor adjustments to the existing framework.

Accordingly, the MISL is undertaking a process of comprehensively reviewing all aspects of the property including its membership, competitive product, and economic model. Fundamental to the resulting reforms that will be implemented is ensuring that our most important partners, the team owners, not only share our vision, but are also capable of meeting the operational, economic, and legal standards of participating in a high-level indoor professional soccer league. As a result, several teams that possess a different philosophy on how to structure and operate an indoor professional soccer league will not be returning to the MISL. (emphasis added)

The key, and probably most telling quote in the release is this:

The MISL refuses to compromise or otherwise relax its standards as a shortcut to increasing its number of teams in the immediate-term, and to the contrary believes that this is the proper time for the ownership standards to be increased in order to best position this league for long-term success. If that means it becomes necessary for us to not have a 2014-15 season schedule…then that is a route we are prepared to pursue. (again, emphasis added).

A video statement from USL President Tim Holt appeared on the MISL web site this afternoon. A spokesperson for the United Soccer Leagues referred any inquiry to USL President Tim Holt, who declined to make a further comment.

Rochester Lancers owner Sam Fantauzzo confirmed that the Lancers are one of 4 teams that will be leaving the MISL. “We will not be part of any league operated by the USL now or in the future,” Fantauzzo said. “We are disappointed that the statement was released prior to informing (the departing clubs) ahead of time.”

The Syracuse Post-Standard confirmed that the other 3 departing clubs are the Baltimore Blast, Syracuse Silver Knights, and the just-crowned MISL Champion Missouri Comets (based in the Kansas City suburb of Independence).

One of the 3 remaining MISL teams would be the Milwaukee Wave. The club issued a statement that “as a result, the MKE Wave will be exploring all options in attempt to keep Professional Indoor Soccer alive in Milwaukee, WI. Regardless of the final outcome, we will be using this as an opportunity for some much needed restructuring of the MKE Wave franchise.”

Andrew Haines, the owner of both the St. Louis Ambush and Pennsylvania Roar franchises, said he would be exploring his options. Mr. Haines confirmed that the Ambush will definitely be back for 2014-15 season. A decision on the Roar, based in Reading, PA, will be evaluated in due course. “We do not neccesarily have difficulty with the USL’s operating philosophy,” Haines told the Morning News this evening. “We understand that the departing clubs are more considered with the size of the league. We don’t play to play in a 3 team league, so we will be evaluating our options moving forward.”

PASL Commissioner Kevin Milliken told the Syracuse Post-Standard that he expects to move quickly on welcoming new teams to the PASL. “There’s a great opportunity to have a united front for our sport. I’m very confident a deal is going to get done,” Milliken said. “We’re just in the infancy of it. Everybody is really motivated to get something done. I don’t really see anything that will hold it up.”

The PASL ended the season with 20 franchises. The league has not announced how many of those clubs will be returning for the 2014-15 season. Milliken told the Post-Standard that he expects 24 clubs to exist in the PASL this fall.

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